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A photo of the school band appears in my 1968 junior-high school yearbook. I was seated in the saxophone section with my horn on my lap. Next to me was a fellow saxophonist named Art. He too had his horn on this lap but, unlike me, he had placed his left hand on his left leg in front of the instrument's bell and extended his middle finger. I knew he was going to do it and considered the whole act silly, but also thought his display wouldn't be really noticed. And it isn't readily apparent unless one knows what to look for. But the thing that struck me about the whole affair was the childishness of the act. "Why," I thought, "would someone want to flip the finger to a camera?" Was there a inner need to seek notoriety by doing something stupid yet diabolical to be recorded for all time? Or was Art just being Art: doing something impetuous and goofy?
I wonder the same thing of The President. Why have yourself recorded flipping the finger. This is not the first time. Many of us have seen the video of Gov. Bush flipping the finger to the camera prior to giving a speech in Texas. In that case, one could argue that he was egged on by his handlers and felt the need to appease them, to be accepted by them. Sort of like another kid at my junior high who could be enticed into eating live moths if enough of kids egged him on. But here was The President, knowing he was being filmed, flipping "the bird." And who was he hoping to appease, by whom was he seeking acceptance? One supposes his "base." One would think that such an act would be met with fierce criticism and condemnation by the President's own party. After all, there was a time when such an act would have been considered childish and out of line, especially for someone in his position. I wonder, though, how many Republicans snickered and giggled when they saw Bush giving the finger to the world via the media? I wonder how many were truly appalled and disgusted. However, these are different times. Such behavior I'm sure would be seen by the Republicans as just a good ol' boy giving it to the "librul" media. 35 years ago, if Nixon had done that, there'd have been hell to pay. The Party, any Party, would not have tolerated such behavior. Juvenile behavior and irresponsibility such as this just goes to show how much we've descended into a cesspool void of civility and maturity.
I never saw Art again after we were promoted to high school. I did learn a few years ago that Art is now serving time in California for second-degree murder. As for George, well, we all know his true character. If he hadn't had The Family to run interference for him and bail him out of his misdeeds, he might very well be in jail too. I suppose in this regard, Art and George could be considered "birds" of a feather...
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